


Immobile

by JustSomeStranger



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Angst, Angst and Feels, Deconstruction, Emergency Medical Technicians, Gen, Guilt, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hulk Smash, Injury, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki-centric, Major Character Injury, Medical Trauma, Neck injury, Paralysis, Physical Trauma, Serious Injuries, Social Commentary, Social Issues, Trauma, disability rights, spinal cord injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 02:10:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5316356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeStranger/pseuds/JustSomeStranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Still in agony after his encounter with the Hulk, Loki tries to flee the scene. But finds he is unable to move. It soon becomes clear just how injured he really is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Loki lay on his back in the crater that he hadn't moved from since getting Hulk-smashed. He had managed to stop whimpering at this point, but he was still in a lot of pain. His thoughts soon turned to healing himself and fleeing as soon as possible. But his arms would not move more than an inch and his hands would barely flex.  
Loki began to feel himself panic. If he couldn't use his hands, he couldn't use his magic properly, and therefor couldn't heal himself. He was alone, badly injured, in pain and unable to move. Never before had he been so vulnerable.

After what felt like an eternity had passed, he heard two people approach him. 

"Hey, look who's still here!" Loki heard the Man of Iron say. He didn't need to look at his face to know he had a smug expression on it.

"Brother?" he heard Thor's voice, "You have not fled?" All Loki could do in return was wince and moan slightly. "What is the matter?" Thor asked concerned.

"I… cannot" Loki groaned. 

"What was it brother?" Thor interrupted him.

"I SAID… I CANNOT MOVE!" Loki yelled. He looked up at his brother with fear in his eyes, 'help me' they said. Thor had the same expression on his own face.

"… shall I call 911?" asked Tony. Neither Thor nor Loki knew what he meant.

"I must get you to a healer immediately!" Thor moved to pick Loki up.

"I wouldn't do that!" Tony exclaimed.

"Why not?" Thor stopped. 

"Well, I'm not a doctor or anything" Tony said, "But chances are Reindeer Games has a broken neck and I have heard that moving someone with that type of injury without the proper procedures can do more harm than good".

"Then what do you suggest we do Tony Stark?" Thor asked. Tony leaned against his bar.

"You get Bruce, I'll call for an ambulance".

Soon Loki found Dr Bruce Banner standing over him. What little colour was left in his face drained from it then and there. He certainly had not forgotten what he'd done to him. Bruce crouched down. The amount of guilt he felt for putting Loki in this condition was beyond words. He'd injured people before, even killed before when he'd Hulked out. But he'd always felt guilty afterwards, even if some of those he'd pummeled had deserved it. But for Loki's sake he had to put all feelings of guilt aside.

"You say you can't move?" he asked in a calm manner.

"Yes…" Loki groaned in response, squeezing his eyes shut. Bruce took hold of the trickster hands.

"Can you try and squeeze my hands?" Bruce said. 

Loki squeezed as hard as he could, but his grip was quite weak. Not a good sign. Bruce let go. "Now try and lift your arms". Loki managed to lift his arms a few inches off of his chest. "Okay…". He then proceeded to get Loki to lift his legs, something he was barely able to do. Then Bruce pinched Loki on the back of his hands and asked if he felt anything, which he did.

"So what's the prognosis doc?" asked Tony.

"He seems to have a C-level type spinal cord injury, two broken arms and a possible fractured skull and legs".

"Ouch" Tony winced in sympathy. 

Loki groaned, his face contorting in agony.

"Will he be alright?" Thor asked, desperation in his voice.

"… I don't know" was all the doctor could tell him. Thor looked to be on the verge of tears. "… He has feeling below the neck injury and some use of his arms, hands and legs, so it's not a complete spinal cord injury. There is a chance he might recover". 

"There's a 'but' in there somewhere isn't there?" Tony noted. 

Bruce sighed.

"… I can't make any guarantees… he may well remain paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life". Loki had heard everything. 

"If you think… I will allow myself to remain a prisoner in my own body-" he then clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut again. 

Suddenly they heard a helicopter land on the balcony. A team of paramedics climbed out. They fitted a neck brace to the injured Loki, carefully lifted him onto a stretcher and strapped him down so he couldn't move his neck or back. They administered drugs to alleviate the pain he was in and carted him off to the air ambulance. 

"Where are they taking my brother?" Thor asked desperately.

"To some hospital" Tony said. They watched the helicopter take off.

"I should go, I should be with him!" Thor made to leave.

"Woah there!" Tony stepped in front of the thunder god, "Chances are you'll get there before they do".

"Stay" Bruce joined in, "And help us clean up for a bit, then go and see him". Thor looked towards where the air ambulance had been.

"Very well".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write this after coming across this picture murielle.deviantart.com/art/AV… and a fic inspired by it frost-child.deviantart.com/art…. I love them both and wanted to make my own, but one that was less humorous and more on the side of drama. Thus this
> 
> I did a bit of research on spinal cord injuries. It's really interesting. If you want to find out more about it, this website is a good place to start 
> 
> https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spinalcordinjuries.html


	2. Chapter 2

Loki could hear something land on the balcony outside. He then heard footsteps and soon found himself surrounded. His first instinct was to fight them off but since he could barely move, any attempt would be futile. He felt hands all over him.

"Unhand me" Loki hissed, giving them his death glare.

"We're trying to help you, please cooperate" one of the paramedics responded coldly. 

Loki felt his neck being restrained in some sort of collar, then turned slowly on his side and felt a flat surface being inserted underneath him. He was then strapped down to that. His head was also restrained so he could only move his eyes to see what they were doing. Loki started moaning again, the agony he felt was unbearable.

"Do you want us to give you something for the pain?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Yes…" Loki answered immediately, at this point he would do anything to have the pain stop. 

Loki felt a sting in the back of his hand. Lights were shined in his eyes. Then he found himself placed on a moving bed and carted out towards the balcony and whatever was making such a racket. He heard Thor somewhere in the distance. The pain finally began to subside. It didn't fade away completely, but it was certainly more bearable than it was a few minutes ago. The paramedics loaded the God of Mischief into the air ambulance. Before Loki knew it, he was in the air. Where he was being taken he did not know.

The helicopter landed on the roof of a hospital that was way outside of the Manhattan area. Loki found himself being unloaded, carted inside and taken down a corridor. All he could see were the lights on the ceiling and the paramedics pushing the bed he was on.

Hours later Thor arrived at the hospital Loki had been admitted to. He followed a SHEILD agent through a maze of corridors that twisted and turned in many directions and up elevators and stairs.

Finally, they reached the room where Loki was being kept. Two other agents stood guards outside. Ironically it was for Loki's own protection more than anything else. So many people had lost their friends, loved ones, homes and livelihoods because of him. It was inevitable (and in some ways understandable) that some of those people would be baying for his blood. For this reason the trickster god had to be kept in isolation from the other hospital patients and his location kept a secret from the general public. Only doctors, nurses and members of SHEILD were allowed in.

Thor's breath caught in his throat when he saw the sate his younger brother was in.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki glanced up and saw Thor standing in the doorway with his mouth hanging open. 

Indeed, Loki was aware of how terrible he looked, though thankfully he was no longer in agony thanks to a good dose of morphine. He still donned a neck brace, but he also now had plaster casts on both his arms and legs. 

He no longer wore his Asgardian clothes which were now in tatters since the doctors and nurses had to cut him out of them. He instead wore a generic hospital gown. Several bruises had formed all over Loki's body since Thor had last seen him. The doctors had also informed him that he did indeed have a fractured skull, two broken ribs and a few torn ligaments.

"Have you come to gloat?" Loki finally asked. 

It took a few seconds for Thor to realize he was being spoken to.

"… No brother, I have-"

"I am not your brother" Loki hissed. He tried to clench his hands into fists, but had no such luck. Thor dropped his gaze to the floor. "Why are you here then?" Loki asked him.

"I wished to see how you were" Thor answered, making his way over to the hospital bed were the trickster god lay. 

Loki just chuckled.

"Well" he said dryly, "As you can see, your friend Banner has left me almost completely paralyzed below my neck. Has managed to break almost every bone in my body. Leave me bruised, battered and broken. I am unable to do anything for myself. I cannot move, cannot hold anything, cannot feed myself or clothe myself or use my magic. I'm as helpless as a newborn babe". 

Thor was unsure of what to say.

"… Banner mentioned that… there is a chance that you would recover" he finally said, "That if you undergo this thing called 'physical therapy', then there is a good chance you will regain much of your abilities, and then you can use your magic to heal yourself completely, then you'll no longer be a…" he didn't want to say it.

"… A cripple?" Loki finished for him.

"… yes".

"But there is also a chance that I will remain this way indefinitely" Loki retorted.

"Do not say that brother".

"You heard what your friend said" Loki continued, "I am being realistic. Yes there is a chance that I may heal, but if I don't… you know what happens to those who are considered broken and defective on Asgard". 

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"… Yes" Thor answered. 

They both knew what happened to Asgard's disabled population. Any physical disability or deformity not gained through the glory of battle or old age was considered shameful, and even then, only if you didn't end up reliant on others. Anyone born disabled, physically or mentally, or became severely physically disabled or mentally ill were hidden away out of shame, so that they wouldn't make others feel uncomfortable. 

"But you will not be hidden away. I will make sure of that" Thor added, "As would mother".

"But if the All-Father were to order it, there is very little you or mother could do to stop him" Loki pointed out. 

Thor was lost for words. It was true, Odin's word was law, and if he said that Loki were to be hidden away, there would be nothing anyone could do about it. 

Loki gazed up at the ceiling. Was it Thor's imagination or did Loki look to be on the brink of tears. They were both at a loss of what to say to one another. All of a sudden Loki's eyes became steely and bitter. They locked onto Thor. 

"Leave me" Loki growled. Thor looked at his younger brother who seemed to have tears starting to run down the sides of his face.

"Loki…"

"GET OUT!" the God of Mischief yelled. 

Thor sighed, then turned and left.

"Goodbye brother".

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this after coming across this picture murielle.deviantart.com/art/AV… and a fic inspired by it frost-child.deviantart.com/art…. I love them both and wanted to make my own, but one that was less humorous and more on the side of drama. Thus this.
> 
> I did a bit of research on spinal cord injuries. It's really interesting. If you want to find out more about it, this website is a good place to start 
> 
> https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spinalcordinjuries.html


End file.
